The Washington Post offers an interesting timeline detailing events of the day of JFK's assassination as well as the effect on how the Secret Service protects the president. Scroll through the page to view the story from the president's arrival through the time Oswald flees the scene. Along the way listen to short audio clips from a former director of the Secret Service with how each event impacts changes to the security of the president.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

This site is ideal for an interactive whiteboard or projector. Open the site and view together as a class during a study of the presidents or elections. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here, to compare and contrast presidential security for JFK to today's president. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here. Have them create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook from the perspective of John Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald, or a Secret Service agent documenting the day's events.

Plan, build, and manage your own 3D city using this shareware game. The tools are similar to SimCity, though simpler. You have a budget, collect taxes, build residential, industrial, and commercial districts, and try to respond to the needs of your community before a crisis occurs. Messages at the lower left tell you of current needs. The items you can add show their costs and explanations when you roll your mouse over the 3D icons. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to locate "how to" information, so you need to be observant about the constant changes in your city as you learn the tools. Even on the "easy" level, things happen fast! For example, the population keeps changing, as does your available budget, tax revenue, etc. Use the pause button at the bottom to stop and think or simply to stop and notice what has happened while everything was changing so quickly! Click "Eval" to find out what your citizens think of your decisions as "mayor." You can Save your map and reopen it using the "load map" button the next time. Maps are saved locally on your computer so test first to be sure your settings allow the saved file to stay there. Since there is no sign-in or membership, you cannot load a map you saved on another computer.

In the Classroom

This simulation would fit well in a unit on how communities work or basic governmental principles. Share this simulation on an interactive whiteboard (or projector) with student operators to figure out how the tools work. For a smooth introduction, have a small group of your "techie" students figure out what the tools do and explain them to the rest of the class. Then challenge student partners or groups of three to discover how to build a successful city. Have them take screen shots of their city's successes (and failures) and post them on a class wiki or in a blog post explaining what a successful city needs and why. Then have them find local news articles about a real world example of the same issues, such as a debate over a proposed industrial zone or new taxes, and share the link as part of their wiki or blog post. Note that github, the software sharing site where this game is hosted, may be blocked in some schools, so test before you plan to use this in a classroom!! If you teach computer coding, this is a great game for your students to try as inspiration.

The Migrant Trail is a reality simulation with the goal of teaching about undocumented Mexican migrants and border patrol officers. See both sides of the situation. Learn what drives migrants to risk their lives to cross the border into the United States. Participate as a border patrol officer. Learn that they do not only apprehend migrants, but also rescue and treat those who suffer from the harsh elements encountered in trying to cross the desert. Participating in this activity is an excellent way to strengthen decision-making skills and at the same time acquire cultural understanding in order to see both sides of the issue about migration from Mexico. A documentary on PBS titled The Undocumented was the inspiration for this interactive. It is not necessary to view the film to use the interactive.

In the Classroom

Introduce this interactive to students on a projector or interactive whiteboard. You may want to start out as a border patrol officer so students will understand the underlying humanitarianism in this job. The officers in this interactive are empathetic and concerned about the health of the migrants. Have students explore individually or in pairs the different migrants, their history, and decisions they have to make while crossing the desert. Be sure to supply earbuds/headphones or have students silence the audio on the computers. There are short biographies of the migrants. Pair weaker readers with stronger readers as necessary. The Migrant Trail is an excellent way to make students think about and discuss a real-world issue in a government class. In an economy class, talk about the role of public policy in citizenship and the financial matters that drive the migrants.

Know More describes itself as "a site for people who like learning stuff." This blog style site offers infographics to intrigue viewers into finding out more. The topics are as widely varied as immigration, snow fall depth, diseases, or the statistics of Jeopardy's Daily Double! New additions appear daily, so you will never run out of things to "know more" about. Click an infographic, read a quick explanation, and delve deeper via links to the source data and related articles. The subject matter is timely and often parallels topics in today's news.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share this site as a link on your class web page to inspire students in search of a blog topic, a research topic, or current events stories they can "relate to." Share one of the infographics on a projector or interactive whiteboard to give students practice interpreting visual representations of data or to spark discussion about current events. If you assign students to share current events stories, they will love this as a starting point for their investigations. Challenge your gifted students to dig deeper into a topic that fascinates them and share the results as their own infographic using these as a model. Share this site in math classes to make data and statistics more meaningful and to connect to the "real world." Use a Know More infographic as a writing prompt for persuasive writing. Use these visuals to lure students into experience with informational texts by letting them choose one from the widely varied offerings.

Retronaut is an archive of historical photos, though not your typical photos. These images are sometimes quirky, and generally unexpected. Many have explanations about the period. View images of 1970's rock stars with their parents (Elton John, Frank Zappa, Eric Clapton to name a few). See Selma's Children, What Parisian Fancy Ladies wore in 1906, history's first women aviators, and much more. Explore the site by Most Popular, Featured, or The Latest. Click on an image to view a "capsule" with other related images. Some of the images have links under them for attribution, and you can see and read even more about that topic. Under latest, this reviewer found topics that were just added five days before, so you may want to check back if you do not find what you're looking for. Warning: At the time of this review there were two topics that may be inappropriate for the classroom. Use the URL of the topic you wish to share in a new window or tab of your web browser.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share Retronaut via Mashable with students to explore images from a given time or relating to any historic topic to get an interesting perspective not typically seen in textbooks. Create capsules using images to share for any classroom project or allow students to create their own in conjunction with classroom presentations. Use Wellcome Images, reviewed here, with over 100,000 historical images if you do not find what you want on Retronaut. Galleries are not moderated, so check before sharing on your interactive whiteboard or projector. You can always use the URL of the topic you wish to share on a new tab of your web browser.

Where have you been? Create a color-coded map of the United States or Canada that highlights states that you have visited. Go through the list of states and choose a color for each state. There are four colors to choose from indicating your amount of time spent in that state. Just click on the state and then find your color. Or use the list of states found under the map. Choose an image width and pick the "Create" button to make your personalized image map. Save the map to your computer in png format. Please note: this is part of an individual's travel blog, and posts are not moderated for school use. Be sure to check out content links before sharing or student use. Or better yet, advise students NOT to click on any external links.

In the Classroom

Creating this would make an interesting map to create as a class project when learning about the 50 states. Go through the states list on your interactive whiteboard and create your class map to print or share as a digital image on your class website. Do a map as a class to see which states MOST students have visited. If you feel students may be embarrassed at their lack of travel, this may be better done on individual computers or on a personal response form given to you to input privately. For a whole class activity, divide your class into groups to create separate maps. Compare and contrast states visited. Send home a link to the website for students to create a map with their families. For older students, use the map for content and reassign colors as needed. For example, create a map showing the birthplace of U.S. Presidents: assign red to states without a president, yellow with one president, and green with two or more. This same format could be used in nearly any subject while studying differences in states (democrat or republican, most popular agriculture product, how many - if any - NFL teams, teen pregnancy rate, and much more).

Learn about the first 43 Presidents at this interactive site. Read a brief portrait of each with a short narrative about his Presidency and accomplishments. A picture is also included with each president. Unfortunately, it does not yet include President Obama and beyond.

In the Classroom

Use this site to introduce a specific president. Share this site on your projector or interactive whiteboard. Use this tool for research projects. There are several short paragraphs devoted to each President, and they would be perfect to teach how to take notes or summary writing. Have your class write a proposed piece about the current President and have the class vote on the best one.

Click "Add to Cart," enter your credit card information, and a package arrives at your doorstep as soon as the next day. But it wasn't always that way. The Smithsonian Postal Museum provides a look at the history of package delivery in the United States, with an emphasis on the early 20th century. How did the US Postal Service deliver goods across long distances? Why did Congress authorize a government agency to deliver packages? And don't miss the section detailing some of the strangest packages ever mailed!

In the Classroom

The ability to mail packages across the country is an important factor in the growth of the US and has contributed to an ever-more-mobile society. Incorporate some of the historic images here into a discussion of changes in transportation and communication over the 20th and early 21st centuries. Ask students to brainstorm the items in their own bedrooms that might have arrived via Parcel Post. How would their lives be different without package delivery? Why is it important for the US Government to be involved in package delivery? Have students share their findings and thoughts by creating online posters individually or together as a class. Use a tool such as Web Poster Wizard (reviewed here) or PicLits (reviewed here.

Do your students remember 2000? How about 1950? This booklist explores the times of JFK and Reagan, the tumultuous 60s and Woodstock, Civil Rights, and so much more. CurriConnects thematic book lists include ISBN numbers for ordering or searching, interest grade levels, ESL levels and Lexiles''® to match student independent reading levels to challenge, not frustrate. For more on text complexity and Lexiles''®, see this information from the Lexile Framework. This list features books for all levels of readers. Let students choose a book in one area of interest during the 20th century and share with the class about times (probably) long before they were born. Don't miss other CurriConnects themes being added regularly. If your library does not have the books, try interlibrary loan!

In the Classroom

Make the 1950s and beyond come alive during your unit on American History. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Pen.io, reviewed here. This blog creator requires no registration! Have students interview parents about different times that they learn about. Have students include the interview in the blogs. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.

History on the Net contains a wide variety of resources for a broad range of history topics. Begin a search by exploring history topics or by searching resources such as online lessons or worksheets. Explore the Titanic, World War I, Vikings, Mayans, and so much more! Look through a large selection of reference materials: dictionaries, timelines, and more. History on the Net is a great starting point when looking for lessons and materials for teaching history across the ages!This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this site as an anticipatory set or "activator" to introduce a unit or lesson on a projector or interactive whiteboard. Make a shortcut to this site on classroom computers and use it as a center. Use this site as the starting point for individual or group projects. This site is a perfect addition to use with President's Day activities, when learning about the Olympics, or as part of a Black History Month lesson. Be sure to include this site on your class web page for students to access both in and outside of class. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here, or Venngage, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a president, a passenger on the Titanic, a famous scientist, or another person learned about on this site.

Discover some of the world's best online courses with SlideRule's search engine. Enter what you want to learn into the search bar. Explore the offerings provided or browse by subject, university, or providers. Narrow results down by starting date, teaching method, or credentials. Each entry includes a short description of the course, fees (many are free!), start dates, length of course, and skill level required. Many classes also include reviews from other SlideRule users. Click the "Enroll" link to go directly to the course or save to your wish list after creating a free account. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. Most do not require Flash. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share SlideRule with your gifted students as a resource for finding enrichment resources or content not taught by your school. Search for and share free courses for all students to use for review of any topic. Use the SlideRule search engine to find professional development courses for your own personal use.

This amazing yet simple site devotes itself to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. It encourages all Americans to video record themselves reading or reciting the speech. Scroll through to view the many videos already uploaded by presidents, journalists, actors, and everyday people. Share your recording using the simple steps provided on the site to become involved in this piece of history. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

View a different video daily as part of your class warm up activities. Start with the Old Sturbridge Village to convey the setting and set the tone. Record your class reciting the Gettysburg Address and upload to the site. Encourage others to share their video. Make this part of a class community service project, encourage students to find community members to record a video or go to nursing homes and hospitals to get recordings from patients. While learning the Gettysburg Address have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, Tagxedo, reviewed here, or WordItOut, reviewed here.

Discover and learn how to recognize flaws in political arguments and advertisements with Flackcheck. Browse the Video Wire to find fact checks on viral emails, the latest videos, and recent speeches and debates. Choose the Patterns of Deception to take an in-depth look at the art of deception in many current political debates. Other portions of the site explore the Lincoln/McClellan election of 1864, election of 2012, Affordable Care Act, and more. Some of the videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Then have students explore this site independently or in small groups. Ask your students to visit the site and create a multimedia presentation with the information they learn. Take advantage of the free lesson plan to include with your election unit. This site is excellent for enrichment. Post a link to FlackCheck on your class web page for students to access both in and out of class. Have students use StepUp.io, reviewed here, to grab other examples of patterns of deception from online video sources such as YouTube or Dailymotion quickly and easily. Have students create a word cloud of commonly used deceptive words using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, or WordItOut, reviewed here.

Immerse yourself in the all-too-real world of cyber warfare through this interactive documentary. While possibly a bit alarmist, this project tells the story of cyber warfare using several types of media: online video "webdoc," a graphic novel app (device agnostic and free), a fictional eBook/audiobook/paper book, and interview clips from real world experts on cyber security. Unfortunately, the "webdoc" video intro includes an expletive inappropriate for a classroom, so you will want to preview and probably skip the intro if sharing this in a school setting. Check out the Facts section for tips on protecting your own online data and browsing information. Netwars is optimized to work on any device with a modern web browser and an Internet connection. Only the interactive novel has iOS and Android apps

In the Classroom

Use portions of this site with more mature students to spark discussion about the real (or unreal?) threats of cybersecurity. Every week, news stories about data breaches and hacking proliferate. Include this site as one of many current events topics in a government or civics class where you talk about the issues facing both the executive and legislative branches -- as well as the constitutionality of some proposed solutions. In a research unit in English class, include this as a site to be evaluated. Is this a reliable source? Does it show bias? Is the threat portrayed substantiated with facts or is it designed to scare the audience? Have student groups write and create a web tour using a tool such as Screencast-o-matic (reviewed here) to make an argument about the site and support their points with examples from the site's visual "text." Challenge gifted students to research other evidence supporting or debunking the facts from this site. Since the site is also available in German, world language teacher may want to share it with more advanced German students for language listening and practice.

Find thoughtful articles written to explain today's news, especially the stories that are most difficult to understand. The article topics vary widely and include offerings from sports, politics, pop culture, public policy, world affairs, food, business, health, and many other topics. Just as the news may include tough or adult topics, so may Vox. You might want to preview or direct less mature young people to a specific article instead of allowing them to browse the entire site.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share specific articles from this site -- or a collection of them-- for students to gain experience with informational texts that demystify the headlines they are seeing on the TV screen crawl. Use examples from this site as models for student groups to do research to explain a science or economics topic that has been in the news and share it with peers as a digital poster showing the top ten things they should know about X. Use a tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create a "poster" of sticky notes. Not only will your students gain experience reading for understanding, but also choosing the most important things to know from an article. Use this approach for students to research and share articles in health class (such as on new vaccines or discoveries) or on national issues during an election cycle. Be sure to include this link on your class web page for upper grade students to find current events articles (along with a disclaimer that some topics may be controversial).

With the normalization of relations between the US and Cuba, it's helpful to understand the context of the often-troubled relationship between these two countries since the onset of the Cold War. This interactive timeline provides images, historical information and links for further explanation for the time period from 1959 through the present. It's also possible to share the timeline or to embed it into a website or blog.

In the Classroom

No lesson on the Spanish American War, the Cold War, or US diplomatic relations within the Americas is complete without an examination of the tensions between the US and Cuba. The timeline is suitable for use on an interactive whiteboard or projector. Share or embed this tool into a classroom website or blog.

2015 marked the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, one of the founding documents of modern democratic society. In recognition of this anniversary this committee collected a number of resources for celebrating and understanding its significance to history. An interactive timeline highlights events prior to and following the signing of Magna Carta. Essays discuss Magna Carta's impact on modern democracy. An interactive map places events in geographic contexts. And perhaps you're planning a trip to the UK for the celebrations? Find visitors' resources and a calendar of commemorative events. Check out the resources under Schools, including biographies of those involved (including a whole section on women) in the development of the document. There are lesson plans aligned with the UK's school system, and a quick Q&A overview of the importance of Magna Carta today. Don't miss the YouTube video explaining the work of Britain's Parliament in just over 60 seconds. If your district blocks YouTube, then this video (and others) may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

No study of modern democratic political systems is complete without an understanding of Magna Carta. On its anniversary, incorporate the interactive timeline into a discussion of the roots of the US Declaration of Independence or the post WW2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Compare and contrast the different ways the principles that underpin Magna Carta have been transformed into democratically elected governments across the world.

The Knotted Line is a dynamic, interactive, multilayered timeline that examines the issues of freedom and confinement in U.S. history and into the future. You need to think about the question "How is freedom measured?" while exploring the 50 embedded paintings. The paintings depict historical (and future) moments from 1495-2025. Hover your mouse over images on the timeline to find the red dot. Click to see more information. Each of these links takes you to a short article including links to more information and discussion questions. Be sure to view the link on the home page with Educator Resources. This page contains a PDF download of the curriculum correlated to Common Core Standards and two videos introducing the site.

In the Classroom

The Knotted Line is perfect for use on your interactive whiteboard (or projector) as you introduce and explore this site together. After introducing this site, have students explore on their own. Use this as a starting point to research and gather information on each topic. Have students create timelines depicting what they learned about each topic. Use a tool such as Capzles, reviewed here, which allows for music, photos, videos, and more on the timeline.

See photographs and captions of current daily news from around the world. In addition to showing professional pictures, you can contribute your own special photos. Each photo included a clickable caption. Click on the caption to view more photos and read simple explanations.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use the photos on this page as a jumping off site for many activities. Challenge students to read about the same topic/news using a different site and then writing a comparison essay. Students can submit their own photos for consideration. Students can learn summary writing by looking at these photos and writing briefly what happened. Have students create a multimedia presentation using Thinglink, reviewed here.This site allows users to narrate a picture. Challenge students to upload a copyright-safe photo, and then narrate as if it were a news report. Students of multiple ability levels can respond to the photos, each at their own ability level.

Build your understanding of the U.S. economy through a creative, well-organized collection of short films (5-8 min) designed to explain 20 key concepts that any informed citizen needs to understand. Unlike many informational films, these are quite engaging. The collection is divided into five chapters on Economy, Money, The Role of Government, Globalization, and Inequality. All of us can better understand how our economy works from watching these films and exploring some of the follow-up discussion suggestions, even among adults. Teachers can obtain a link to free, downloadable lesson materials, activities, and extensions by filling out a form with their email address. (The email comes within a few minutes but watch your SPAM filter. It may be better to request the link via a home email to avoid school filtering!) The teacher materials include correlations to CCSS standards in ELA, Math, and Writing. The content of the films and lessons supports many major concepts of economics and government included in state and other standards. App versions are available for both iOS and Android.

In the Classroom

Sign up to download the support materials and plan one or several lessons to demystify the economy as part of a civics/government class or an economics course. Assign students to watch films in small groups and create digital booklets explaining the key concepts to the class using a multimedia tool such as Calameo, reviewed here. As economic issues come up in current events or during an election cycle, use these films to explain the underlying issues.